Queen For A Night: Florence and the Machine live

FLORENCE AND THE MACHINE/BLOOD ORANGE

SANTA BARBARA COUNTY BOWL

14 APRIL, 2012

I keep thinking of Florence and the Machine as 'our little secret', having caught her a few years back at Coachella as she burst into our concsiousness.  As the sold out crowd at Saturday night's Santa Barbara County Bowl show would attest: The secret is out.

This was the official kickoff of their North American jaunt, and if their subsequent Coachella reception is any indication-it should be an amazing tour.  The band just released an 'Unplugged' record, but there was nothing unplugged about this show, which leaned heavily on material from last year's sophomore effort Ceremonials, and featured a full complement, the two drummers and backup singers adding to the majesty of the songs.

Clad lithely in a catsuit topped with an amazing cape, Florence reared back and let the Voice do the work, bouncing exuberantly around the perimeter of the stage, scarcely able to contain her excitement.  It is so good to have her back.

 Setlist:
Only If For A Night  
What the Water Gave Me   
Cosmic Love    
Dog Days Are Over  
Between Two Lungs  
Heartlines  
Leave My Body  
Shake It Out  
Rabbit Heart (Raise It Up)  
Spectrum  
You've Got the Love    
Lover to Lover  
(encore)
Never Let Me Go
No Light, No Light
Source: setlist.fm

Opening duties for the show were handled splendidly by Dev Hynes, (the artist formerly known as Lightspeed Champion), whose current gig is billed as Blood Orange.  His one man guitar with laptop samples routine started pleasantly enough, built to a slow boil, ending with a nasty raveup that got the early arrivals' full attention, and surely won him new converts.